Choose Your Life; Don’t Let It Be Chosen
We either live our lives or let others live their lives through us.
Life is a constant series of choices: Do we assert our authority, or do we relinquish that power to others, institutions, or philosophies that do not align with our true selves?
As I grew up, societal expectations loomed over me. But I refused to conform. My life became a quest for liberation. I had my own aspirations. My older sister, more than a decade my senior, gifted me a plaque before I turned ten. It bears a quote from Thoreau: “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.” I heard a different drummer. I did not aspire to be a lawyer, an agent, a veterinarian. I yearned to weave tales. That was my sole ambition. I chose to swim against the current. “Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” (Robert Frost)
My life was once filled with drama. I made a conscious decision to let it go. I leave the drama for others (they seem to revel in it) and for my characters. But not for me. A fulfilling day spent writing and assisting fellow writers, followed by a peaceful evening tea with my wife, a dinner that I prepare with my entire family (wife and kids), and the rest of the evening dedicated to reading, and that’s enough for me. I chose this life. If I hadn’t, another life would have selected me. One can talk at length about self-direction and purposeful peace. Ironically, this must not be fought for because it falls into the trap, but rather chosen.
Living your life, living the life that you want, does not come without its payments, though. The main character must go through hell in all myths before finding heaven. All the myths are the same, and so are our lives. What is hell for each of us? It’s all different, but it is there. We offend people; we change our habits, we change our spending and saving, we change our goals, we change our schedules, and we change our lives to what we want them to be. Like a ship at sea, we can’t make fast turns. These are gradual changes, but we decide what we want and will spend time altering the ship’s direction.
So, wherever you are, begin. The choice is now and every single moment of your life: do you wish to live your life and your dreams, or do you want to live someone else’s?
The choice is always yours.
There is always time to choose.
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